* Tuesday, Still Science Lab, Now Nurse's Office, After the Funeral *

The numbing agent finally starts working. The lack of pain is a drug itself for Max. Finally, she starts breathing easy again, not even realizing the tension that had built up.

Fuuuuuhhhhhhh...

The nurse said she wont be able to cover the area for at least another twenty minutes so Max must sit, staring at the raw circle on her hand. In fact, the nurse gave her a list of things to do: don't touch it (duh), don't make a fist (again, duh), keep it elevated, don't let any ointment touch the damaged area, don't blow on it...

Basically, don't think in the general direction of my hand.

Max is curious, now that the pain emanating from her hand decreased and concentrated itself to the inflicted area. It's the first injury she's had in a long time, besides a stubbed toe or paper cut. First scar she will have since childhood. I stopped getting into trouble a while ago. It's ugly, red skin and odd discolorations. Straight-up gross. The blisters are minimal but where the pain seems to emanate from.

I really hope I get something better than baby aspirin for this.

Voices, obviously Victoria and Kate, start arguing with someone in the office next door. A minute later the door opens, letting in the pair and giving Max a glimpse of the disapproving nurse, sitting at her desk.

'So, that was stupid.'

Never change Vicky.

'I wasn't really trying to do something stupid.'

'What were you doing?'

'Well, I was going to help Kate but Logan tried to blow up the lab.'

'But your bare hand?'

'Trust me, not my first choice. Logan spilled it every single time I tried to stop him until I covered the top. Except when I tried to use your glove, people noticed.'

'Couldn't you, you know, have grabbed something else.'

Shaking negatively. 'Nope. I walked up to Miss Grant empty handed. Courtney musta been watching me. She might have noticed something anyway.'

Kate rubs Max on her shoulder. 'Well, at least you're okay.'

'How's Logan? He's fine, right?'

Victoria snorts. 'Mostly. Though definitely in trouble. He went to the principle's about ten minutes after you left.' A pained smile. 'He poured some sort of quicklime liquid into that glass. Remember that stuff from Fight Club? When Ed Norton burned his hand? Yeah, like that.'

Harsh. No wonder it hurt so much.

'Damn. Guess it's good I kept Logan from splashing it in his eyes.'

'Really? Sh- uh, darn it. That could have been...'

Yeah. 'Yeah, FM said he was still in the hospital.'

Wide eyes and pale faces.

Oops, bomb dropped.

Kate finds herself first and whispers. 'You talked to future you?'

'Uh, yeah. During the pause.'

'How was it? I mean, she.'

'Sane, I guess? She's acting a lot more coherent now. No more double-voices. And she was kinda... personal.'

The two girls share a look.

'She opened up, a little bit. Said she liked who she was now. Or, uh, in the future-now I guess.'

'Max, I don't-'

'Yeah, she's crazy. But I'm really starting to understand her now.'

Another look.

'Don't be like that. I mean, I understand why she's crazy. It's because she's changing at the same time as she talks to me. As we interact, FM and I, she's literally becoming a different person.'

Victoria gets it.

'So sometimes you turn really mean?'

Oh, Kate. 'I don't turn mean. I guess, those times, I'm not really... in a good space.'

Kate persists. 'What could do that? What could make you hate yourself like that? To say the sort of things the voice did... Max, that's not right.'

I know that. And I can imagine why. 'Kate, you've seen me pretty bad. What if I, you know, lost it all? Some of these futures, I probably...'

Fail.

All three of them know the word hanging in the air. Failure. They don't stop the Whirlpool. The town is destroyed.

Max might be the only survivor.

Thankfully, Victoria puts some of their fears away. 'Look at it this way. When FM is in a good mood, we probably won. It just means there's hope.'

In spite of how sappy, this seems to mollify Kate. In fact she seems positively buoyed by the idea. 'Of course there's hope, Victoria. There's always hope.'

Walking, talking sunshine.

The nurse comes in, ushering out Max's friends. A pair of hurried 'Laters' before the door closes. The nurse immediately begins to examine Max's hand.

'I'm going to apply some mineral oil. Make sure you coat the burn evenly every time you wash your hands. And if you want to wrap it, not too tight. Otherwise...'

Max didn't mean to space out. But with everything else on top of the fact the pain is beginning to come back, it's almost inevitable. Doesn't help when words like puss and discharge are being used.

'...So don't hesitate to come in. Here, all my instructions are on this. And two things not in the pamphlet. first give me a couple extra Tylenol for the pain, but it's not going to do much. Second, and most importantly, no drugs. I know kids these days, so no pot or alcohol. You're likely to aggravate your wound.' The nurse admires her handiwork, and pronounces Max fit to leave.

In the waiting room, Max finds Victoria waiting.

'Class?'

Shaken head. 'Told her what happened and handed in my paper. Yours too, found it in your bag.'

'Cool... What paper?' I kinda wasn't here last week.

The confusion is brief. 'Oh, right. We had to write a Lit. Media. Yours was titled "Persuasive Language in Stationary Images". I perused, not bad.'

I really hope I'm caught up on the rest of my assignments. 'So, back to dorms?'

'First, lockers. Need a few books.'

The blonde's locker is only a few feet from Max's, so the brunette double checks she doesn't need anything. Inputting her combination one-handed is simple enough. Going through both her bag and her piles of books and papers, less so.

The pile of papers soon strewn across the floor a testament to that.

'Shit!'

But before Max can reach down, a pair of hands starts cleaning up.

'Hey Max. Lemme help.'

What is Justin doing? I am... am I nervous? 'Th-thanks.' Accepting the papers, stuffing them into her bag.

'Heard what happened. Logan was pretty freaked. You okay?'

She holds up her hand, displaying the gauze and wrapping. 'Sure. Can't see it but it's pretty gross.'

He smiles. 'Hardcore. Heard you were all bad-ass about it too.'

Don't blush. I am so not blushing right now. 'N-no. Logan, just, he should have been careful. I just got lucky.'

'Reflexes like that is luck? Cool you're being all low-key hero about this.'

Crap, this is like... Just like Warren.

Immediately Max calms herself down. Familiar territory. 'It's not like that. Just good timing. I most certainly don't have good reflexes, if the number of stubbed toes I've gotten is any indication.'

So, is he flirting?

He laughs and nods. 'I hear you. You should see how gnarly some of my falls can get.'

Not really.

An arm entwines itself with Max's. Victoria is done with her locker. 'Aren't you a little late for class?'

'Naw. English. No teacher, no class.'

'Justin, it's Tuesday. We have Media together.'

Confusion. 'Oh.' And panic. 'Crap! I'll catch you later.' More confusion. 'Wait, why aren't you-?'

'Teacher knows. I'm taking care of Max.'

'Alright Tori.' He lights up. 'See you around Max.'

A shoulder smack. 'You handled that like a pro.'

'What?'

'I really thought you were floundering but by the end...'

Must. Stop. Her.

'You freaked me out earlier with all that flirting nonsense. We were just talking.'

A disagreeable noise issues on her right.

'Fine. I was just talking. Geez, not everyone has... sex in the brain.'

Again the noise. 'Max. Dozens of seventeen and eighteen year olds, living in the same space mostly unsupervised, hormones raging. You're the only one not like that.' A beat. 'Besides Kate.' Another beat. 'Maybe Daniel- Wait! Did he do the drawing?'

'Yes. Left it in my room.'

And Max falters.

Along with... everything else.

'When we get there, can you... can you get it? It's under a journal... Chloe's. We need to talk about... that.'

'Cryptic much? Okay.' The blonde steers them across the front lawn. 'I'm guessing it has something to do with why you are so out of touch today.'

Wait till you hear it.

'Yeah.'

Up stairs and through doors, Victoria drops Max down on her couch and helps fish out dorm keys. 'Brb.'

I sometimes think Vicky was made to be a Valley girl.

A few minutes later, coming back in, and already shaking her head. The drawing is in front of her face. 'Yeah, I don't know who this is. She seems familiar but no clue why.'

Too much to hope for.

'So, what's up with..?' Victoria waves the little concentration of anarchy in her other hand.

'Just turn to the last entry.'

'Why? What's up with..?' Words die. 'Shit!' More silence. 'What the hell?' And- 'From last Friday?'

'Yeah.'

'But Chloe was...'

Already dead.

'Yeah.'

'Max, I-'

'Don't worry.'

'No. Max, someone is messing with you.'

'I kinda figured that out.'

Victoria won't look up.

'But...'

What?

'But this is different. Before, the photo. That already existed here. It was just torn. This, this never happened in this world.'

'And...'

Fear greets the brunette.

'Max, this is not just changing the past. This is fully pulling something over from a different time line.'

'That already happened.'

'No, Max. If I could travel, I could have gone back and torn the photo. We were all pretty sure there's another person with your powers. Now... this is really different. It's like...'

Victoria hesitates. Max knows why.

The last time they discussed the collapsing-world theory, she didn't take it well. Kinda flipped the fuck out. But she's more stable now.

Right?

'...worlds are merging, Victoria. Like we thought. Or whoever's doing this can pull stuff through. Or just travel to parallel worlds.'

'Which is a lot scarier. Because how do you beat that? We win here, she just steps into another world and tries again? What happens to us? Can she, like, end this world and try over?'

She starts hyperventilating.

'Vicky! Look at me.' She does, but unfocused. 'Look into my eyes. That won't happen. That can't happen. Listen to me.' Two gentle hands holding her head, adding weight without associated burdens. 'I will not let that happen. I will not let whoever this is win.'

Watery eyes and glistening forehead. 'Max, you can't promise that.'

'I most certainly can. There is no way in hell I'd let something happen to you. Or Kate, or Warren. Our friends and family and everyone else.'

I hope I'm right.

'No one is going to beat me. I've been through too much to let anyone beat me.'

I wish I felt as confident as I sound.

'So no more panicking.'

Not yet, anyway.

The confidence Max projects seems to be enough. It takes a minute but the pixie blonde does get herself calmed down. She isn't over it. No, there is still plenty of fear in her. And hope doesn't really seem to have entered into the equation. Her eyes narrow. Her mouth tightens.

'We're going to fuck this bitch up.'

This is one hundred percent pure Victoria Chase determination.

A force of nature by itself.

'Yes we are. But first-' Leaning back and relaxing a bit. '-we need a game plan.'

'Yeah.' And she snaps back. 'Okay Max. We need a plan.' Rubs her temple. 'We need Warren. Between his science knowledge and his geek cred, we'll be covered.'

'True.' Now that Victoria is calm enough, Max feels like worrying again. 'But there is one thing still bothering me.'

'Just the one?' The sarcasm drips from her lips.

'Be nice. Scorn doesn't suit you.' I wonder if she realizes I'm serious. 'I have to wonder why. Why the journal? Why these games?'

'To hurt you.'

But it makes no sense. No difference in the end. 'Sure, emotionally. But... I can get through that. I am getting through it. All it does is alert us to their presence.'

'Then...' The taller girl tries to reason through this logic, or at least rationalize any logic behind their yet-to-be seen foe. 'Then maybe she's scared.'

Maybe I do scare her.

'Maybe she's lashing out at you, Max. Maybe all this wasn't about Chloe. Maybe it's her trying to just hurt you.'

Now that is a scary thought. Who did I piss off to be this level of mad at me?

'I just don't know. I can't think of anyone I could have hurt to make this pissed off. Let alone somebody with this kind of power into a person this angry.'

'Maybe not now. What about in the future?'

Silence. One of the dangerous kind that has been plaguing Max of late.

What could I possibly do to a person to make them so... angry? How could I hurt someone so much that they are literally trying to get revenge through time?

Max remembers her future. The voices. And some of them...

What kind of monster do I turn into?

'Shit! Stay with me Max.'

Stutter.

I hurt someone again.

'M-max, stay he-ere.'

Just like...

'M-m-m-m-'

Like Chloe.

I hurt someone. Bad enough to want me dead. Worse than dead. Bad enough to want me to suffer. What could I have done?

'Max!'

What will I do?

Worse

'Listen

than

to

killing

me!'

Chloe?

'MAX!'

Huh?

Stutter stops.

'Max, please stop!'

'Wuh?'

Victoria is across the room, against her closet door. She shakes, uncontrollably.

What happened?

'Y-you need to stop.'

The stutter is only in her voice.

'Whatever h-happened. Whatever you did.'

Shaking like a kitten.

'It hurt.'

no

monster

no

you hurt her

no

just like chloe

'no'

Recovering, slightly. 'What?'

'i didn't mean it'

Still shivering, still wary, still Victoria approaches.

Still sits next to Max.

'I, uh, I know. But you... you were using your powers, right?'

A nod.

'Whatever you were doing, it... shook you. It started as a flutter in my hand on your arm. But it rolled back on me, and kept multiplying. My whole body, damn... It felt like I was shaking apart.'

'i'm sorry'

'I, uh.' A cough interrupts. 'I know you are. But, please, don't do that again.'

can't promise

'i won't'

'Okay.' With a bit more confidence. 'Okay then. So, yeah, let's stop talking about this.'

'no!'

Momentary panic grips them both, for very separate reasons.

'I mean, just, not yet. Because.' How do I explain? 'Something is still not sitting right. There's, just, this... eh.'

'Max, come on.' A hand on her back, supporting. Not a tremble left.

She trusts me. To know what's going on. I know something, I just... don't know what I know.

'The journal.'

As if that explains everything.

'The journal didn't mess me up. I mean, yes, it really did. But... I'm happy to have it.' The explanation is hard. But gaining traction. 'I have this... concrete proof, now. Of last week. Of my time with Chloe. I have a part of her from then. Something I can keep, instead of just memories of stuff that never happened.'

'Max, you already had that.'

'What?'

'You have your pictures from last week.'

Silence.

For three heartbeats.

...

Wait.

...

'Repeat that.'

'I said you have...'

And the other shoes drops.

'...your pictures...'